


wElC0mE t o the C1ub!

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [17]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, False Memories, Social Anxiety, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22669735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: When Monika took Kaito to her literature club, he hadn't planned on joining....Somehow, he ended up becoming a member anyway.
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 11





	wElC0mE t o the C1ub!

It's an ordinary school day, just like any other.

I think mornings are generally the worst, being surrounded by couples and friend groups walking together, watching them and knowing I'll never know what it's like to walk to school with a friend by my side. 

I always tell myself that I just need to make a little more effort...but I've never been able to drum up enough motivation to join any clubs, and the idea of approaching someone at random fills me with anxiety. 

It's just easier to be alone.

Still...maybe I should at least try and be a little more social, and if I join a club, at least I'll be with people who have the same interests as me.

Usually when school ends for the day, I'm excited. Today, however, I'm anxious. I spent the last few class periods dreading the thought of joining a club. I hate introducing myself to other people, and I'm terrible at remembering names.

After packing my things, I stare blankly at the blackboard, looking for an ounce of motivation.

"Clubs..." I mutter out loud to myself. 

To be honest, there aren't any that interest me. 

Besides, most of them would probably be way to demanding for me to want to deal with.

_Maybe I should just go home and take a nap, instead..._

"Kaito?"

I̷̧̢̻̪̰͕̝̣̟̦̞̩̟̺̎̋͐̿͗̂͝͝ͅt̸̰͔̬͔͙̮͕͙̖̭͇̽́͋́̈͑̈̅͆͂͘'̴͔͗̒͐͌͊͝s̸̢̛̻͓̹̜͔͚̞̔ ̴̨͕̼̼͉̩̳̯͂͂̿̍S̷̨̛̖̯͈̱̜̲̺̹̈̈́̿͆̃̔̌͠ả̶̜̣̲̬̠̣͕̓̆͆̎͛̈̔y̴̨̟̮͔͙͐̿͆̐̈́̄̈́̕o̴̡̨͓̫̺̜͚͎̹͓̣̼̠͇̐̇̑̄̌ͅŕ̴̡͈̟͎̩͋ì̴̡̲̤͍͇̒͋͒̇̅̈́͊.̸̥͎̦̥͙̈́͒̓̍͒̔ͅͅ ̷̢̡̢̟̝͖͓̗̺̗̻̪̗͋͜M̸̨͈̠̹̖̹͕͎̭̟̲̣͂̈́̎̃͛͜͜ą̸͍̭̘͎͑͐͂̈̃̌̽̄͘͜͝͝n̶̞̭̤̙͍̭̦̫̳̱̣̭͎͍͈͒̋̿̇͌̒̿͘,̶̝̫̱͇̍͋̒͂̕̚͝ ̴̦̱̫͖̱̲̎̌̿̅͗̈́̔̋͆̈́̀Ĩ̶̞̐̊̑͗̄͐̆̉͌͝͝ ̸̯͇̆̎͛̈́̌͒͑͋͘m̶̡̨͚̭̞̗͓̝̞͍̉͛ͅͅų̵͔̰̮̯͍̱̥͍̈́͋̉͜ͅs̸̙̲͖͖̭̼̩̍̄̾̀̉̂̅̓̃̅̆͑̕t̶̻͈̩̋̊͌͐͗͆̾̃̕͜ͅ ̴͙͖͍̝̩̜͉̬̫͕̗̍̈h̵̡̠̱͙̖̼̘͉̭̘͈̮͔͒̓̃̏̒̈́͆̏̂̿̈́̅͝ă̵̛͈͙̝̂̒̑͘v̵̜͑̿͊͌͆̄̑̿̂͆͑̿̎̃͝e̶̡͎̍̽̈͒͐͠ ̴̺̩͎͕̪̣̰̦͖̼̤̼̪̥̔̾̓̂̅͌̔͂̌̊͋̄̇r̵͖̱̻͕̫̞̩͙͓̬̜̞̓̈̃̊̌́̿̏͗͊̍̚̕ẽ̶̢̧̡̝̖͇̭̥̻͈͍̻̲̗̈́͊̽̾̄̃̈́ä̶͓̞̪̬̟͓͉́̉̏̑̉͜͠l̸̦͖̤̟̬̺͙͌͑̆̽̒̿̉͊̂̂̾̓͛͜͝ĺ̵̛̠͆̂̈́̔̚͝͝ỷ̷̨̛͇̦̻͍̘̪̹̬̤̆̈́̉ ̸͔̟̳̪̙̦̪̘͚͂̂̒ͅb̷͙̖͓͙̞̭͖̰͇̌̈͌̿̂̅̅̎̒̂͛̀e̶̢̢̡̦̣̭͈̫̮̗͉͠e̴̢̗̗̥̥̠̦̬̼̺͕͖͊̀̏ͅň̷̨̨̦͚̭̂̃̑̽͌͊ ̷̢̨̣̯̬̩͈̰̺̖̗̆͑̅̀̉͊̈̽̎͆̈́̏͜s̸̻͔̦͕͇͙̜̥̩̣͂̓̈́̆̀̔̀̒͘p̶͍̲̫̩̣͔̺̰̳͎̣̞̈̾̍̍̂͌͑̀͆̏̚͘͜͜ͅḁ̷̡̛̛͈̮̺̱̝͈͚̍͒͊̈́̐̾̏̈́̓c̷̡̢͓̘̦̦̗̯̼̹̮͚̜̔̎͂̚̚͜ḭ̴͚̖͎̞̻̎͋͗̔͌̌͋̂ñ̸̡̓̏̃͛̒̒͋͛̓̚g̵̜͉͙̹̻͆ ̵̙̘̟̎̾̎͊͊̓͛͠͠ơ̸̛̼͈̙̥͕̐̏́́̒̏̽̇̈u̸͈͓̅́̾̏ţ̴̜̠̘͚͎͉̥͙̋̍̉͑̒͒̊͑̂̀̿͛̇̈̕ ̷̛͙̠͂̓̇͋̄̌͆̉̑̔͜ī̸̡̢̠̭͙̝̪̱̩͕̤̘͔́̚͜f̵̨̗̬̻̘̹̯̯̆̆͒͊̔̋̽͐̽́̑̽̊͗͠ ̷̧̝̪̗̗͙̗̮̱̔̊̈́̑͑͝͠͠ͅḩ̴̡̭͓͚̬̘͖̪̗͕̠͉̅͗̀̑͊͜a̵̘̭̺̐̏̆̄͂̎̓͌͝͠ḓ̶̨̦̠̪͆̈̉̓̓͊̆͆̉̒n̷̮͂'̶̢̧͉͍̲͎̞̦̯̮͊͜ẗ̴̝̜̯͖́̃͑̇̽̑̄̇̎̈́͛̋͠ ̶̡̜̤̹̤̻̝̭̲̖̤͆̄̍̔̽ņ̶͍̺͈͉̣̰͈͙͈̯̣̤͋̀͗̋̾̓͐͊̋̊͒̓̔̔̇͜ͅơ̷͎̰̺̥͍̈́̂̒̂̒̐̌̓̓͘͜͜t̸̗̫͚̖̄͘i̴͚̻͔̗̣͚̳̲̬̥̹̿͝ͅc̸̻̫̀͗̌́̌̍͊̐͗͊̈́̑̈́͠ę̷̧̧̱͇͔̤͓̫̗̥̽́̀̏͌̏̽͂d̵̢̢̨̛̛͇͔̦̟̈́͋̋͑̄͒̈́̀͐̉̐̌̎ ̷̛̠̱͛̑͋̂̀̆̾̾̀͠͠h̷̢̨̛̛͍̯̊͌͂̑́̒̈́̄̚͠ė̴̡͕̻͍͓̜̪̩̓̐̄̓̾̈̽͝ṟ̵̡̧̨̛̼͔͉͖̩͔͉͚͎̳̈́̿̆̓̌̾̆̌̋̌̈͠ͅ ̴̡͓̞̝͔̩̜̜̫̰͔̖͎̟͗̓̏͘͜c̶̨͚̹̦̱̰͎͔̓̄̒͌̀̀̌̾̑͆̚̚͝͝ͅo̶̺̠̣̝̓̂̂̅̀͐̓m̴̢̡̲̭̪̞̗͕͉̣̥͈̱̜͑̃͗͊͐̂͑̽͑͒͝ͅē̶̛͉̘̃̋̿͗̈́̇̆̓͠͝͠͠͠ ̶̨̥̗̝͚̘̦̩͊͜ͅi̸̛̼̟̺͈̍̂̒͊̈̇͠ń̷͎̭̣̦̮́̈́̄̅̄̿ͅ-̸̡̟̞̬̇̑͂̌̇̆̚͝͝ ̷̛̟̜̓̍̿͛̃̎̌͗̏̾̂͠S̶̢͉̥̤̪͓̀̈́͒̐̊̇͜å̸̢̖͖͎̖̼̪͋͛͘y̷̧̛̱̘͓̣͈̑̿͊̿̑͗̓̈́̾̈̇̽̕͠o̵̡̨̳͔͖͉̠̗̙̭̥̊̽͊͑r̶͖̬̹̩̜̦͎̟͓̈͂̆̐͌̆̇̑̓̌̑̉̕͠į̷͓͛̓͆͒̎̄͗̋̉͛͗̕'̶̢͈̫̬̗͇̩̠͔͚͍̂͆̾̓̐̈́̏̚͝͝ͅͅs̵͊͂͛̾͛̿̃̀͛̉̇̕̕͝ͅ ̵̥̬̄n̵͖̞̺͓̘̅͋͋͂͋̉̍̽̕͝͝o̸̫̠͈̜̙̣͋̀̀̂͆̂̆̿͐̀̓̓͠t̴̛͇̮̤͇̗͒̿̐͛̋̆̏̇ ̶̜̜̦̪̹͉͇͇͖͊͊̑̎̔̋͒͐̿͛͗̕̚͘͜v̵̢͓͈̘̈̿̕ę̷̧͖͓̺̜̙̦̲͍̻̫̣̳͌̆r̸̗͂͗͐ͅy̴̨̖̟̘̖̓̾͒̀̅̒̈́͗̋͋͆ ̸̢̼̜̲̥͉̟̙̱͎̇̄͋̈̅̂̂ͅģ̵̰͙͍̺̼̠̦͒̾̀̅̉̿̉͗̇̆̈͘̚ǒ̸̿́̓̐͒̃̈́̉̈́́̑͛̕ͅo̵̖̻̯̟͉̝̩͒̚ḑ̵͓̮̪̩̺̟͖̤̼̞̭̌̃̚͝ ̵͈͉͈̙͖̩͖̱̊͘͝ȧ̴̧͈͚̎̓͗̑̏̈̈̍̾͘t̴͎̒̋͌̋ ̵͎̣̣͌̽̆͒̅b̴͖̙̰̗͎͖͈̻̱̮̌̈́̔̊͜͜͜ͅę̸̢̬̥̞̜͇̬͎̻͇͚͖͌̍̃̚ͅī̷͓̟̘͇̥́̏̃̽̎n̴̼̒̐̈͂ģ̵̧̛̖̅̈͒̐̅̿́́̀ ̸̨̧̙̹͎̮̪͈̙̦̽̇͐̂͝q̸̡̨̯͇̩̩̙̟̳̱̂͗̆̐̿̄͋͘͝u̴̢̢̢̘͔̭̹̠̻̟̱͍̞̟̬̎͛́͑̽̌̈́̈̚͝į̴̧̧̱͙͕̝͈̼̣̙̣͑̔̏̊̄͗̍̿̏̈́͝e̶̢̲͈̘̜͔̱̗̫̱̎̈́̆̈́͝t̸̡̛͍̻̍̀͂͐͐͒͑͑͘̚͝.̴̩͈̻̬͖̪̤̱̻̈́͗͋̌̿̈́̚ ̶̨̧͖͙̯͆̍̉͂̒

~~**_the world flashes and blurs and glitches and_** ~~

I blink, and my vision returns to normal. 

"...Monika?"

"Oh my goodness, I totally didn't expect to see you here! It's been a while, right?"

"Ah...yeah, it has."

Monika smiles sweetly.

We do know each other- well, we rarely talked, but we were in the same class last semester. I can't remember what class it was, but I do know that she was the most popular girl there- smart, beautiful, athletic.

Basically, completely out of my league. 

So having her smile at me so genuinely feels a little...feels a little...f̶̢̢̗̮̦̭̠̤̞ȩ̵̡̨̠̲͎̗̮̫͎͇̮̋̽̌̊̀͊ě̷̬͙̯̺͉̝̫̩̇ļ̵̥̺̰̗̱̞͙͔͎̺̜̘̂̌̽̊̃͒̓̀͜ṣ̶̩̼̆͋̋̈́̉̄̒͑̍̕̕̕͝ ̸̧̺̗̬͇̪̰̥̥̭̼̂̈́ḁ̷̻̫͕̥̭͑̂͌̒̒ ̷̙͙̬̋̈́ļ̴̛͎̲̝̘̺̺̯̳̖̣͖͌͑̓͋͌̅̾̒͂͊̂̔͗̕ḭ̸̱̣̘̫̰̺͆͗̔̎̿͛ţ̷̧̡̛̻̟̯͉̻̤͊͂̀͠t̸̞̪̜̺̪̖̣͎̋͒̾̑̈́̀̎̑l̷̗̞̥̙͕̭̫̺͌̊̂͜ͅe̵̤̣̱͙̭̜̕

"What did you come in for, anyway?" I ask. 

"Oh, I've just been looking for supplies to use for my club. Do you know if there's any construction paper in here? Or markers?"

I shrug. "I guess you could check the closet." 

A thought occurs to me. "Hey, aren't you in the debate club? I didn't know that the club activities involved art..."

Monika giggles. "Ahaha, about that...I actually quit the debate club."

"Really? You quit?"

"Yeah...to be honest I can't stand all the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events. I'd rather take something I enjoy and make something special out of it."

"In that case, which club did you decide to join?"

"Actually, I'm starting a new one! A literature club!"

"Literature...?"

_That sounds kind of dull._

"How many members do you have so far?"

Monika looks away for a moment, her cheeks starting to flush a little. "Um...it's kind of embarrassing, but there are only three of us-"

t̷̢͉̺̗͉̮͛̈́̓͌̒ḧ̶̗͚͇͖̰̳͓͙̪̿̃͒́̇r̶͈̘̫̬͓̘͙̲̞̦͔̃e̷͇̤͍̫̪̖͑̿̔̋̂̂̐͛͑̓̂̚e̴̢̩̊̍̓͐̆͐̋͆̕?̶̧̫̤͍͖̮̉̔̍̑͂̾̈́̐̃̀͝ ̴̻̠̬̩̱̌̈̈́̌̍̇̓̊͛͌͋͝͝b̸̮͇̓̃̅̈̓̇͋͆̐̂͘̚͝͝ư̸̟̠͍͈̐̐͑͛̅̏̌t̶̲̫͖̫̗̳̖̮̰͖̮͗̉́̾̔̎̎̐̈̽̂̋͝͝ ̸͈̗̟̅̈́̈̑̓̈́̏̅̈͝I̷̧̢̧̪̻̯̘̯̩̠̲̳͙̼͕̋͊̆͗̈́ ̶̧̦̳͎̗̼̈́̅̆͑̌̇͠t̸̨̧̨̰̞̠̲̲̣̖̘̗͛ĥ̴͎͈̹͌̔̽̇̍͑̎̔͛̎͠͝ǒ̴̢̗͎̟̲̥̮͔̟͕̥̭̆̋̑͂͆̉͂̇u̵͓̲̼̇́͜ͅg̴̡̨͔̞̤̞̬̥͇͓̽͛̒̊͂̋̈́͗̊͐̅ḣ̶̩̪̉̓́̀̑̚t̶͔͉̪͋̆͆͋̋̆̋̔͘.̴͚̯̻̼̜̃̽̇̈́̌͋͂̈́̆̕̚̚͝͠.̵͕͒̈́͗̔̍̃̇̒̿́̍.̶̟̟̼̖̫̬̣͑͆͋͆̇͆͂̾̓̕̕͘͘͜͠

"-so far. It's really hard to find new members for something that sounds so boring..."

I nod politely. "That must be tricky."

"But it's really not boring at all, you know! Literature can be anything. Reading, writing, poetry...I mean, one of my members even keeps her manga collection in the clubroom."

"Wait, really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Monika giggles. "Yeah, it's funny, right? She always insists that manga is literature, too. I mean, she's not wrong, I guess...and besides, a member's a member, right?"

_Would it be a dumb question to ask how a literature club is different from a regular book club?_

_Probably._

_Wait...did Monika say "she"?_

_I wonder...would that club member happen to have copies of my favorite manga?_

"Hey, Kaito..." Monika begins, "by any chance...are you still looking for a club to join?"

"I guess."

Honestly, if Monika hadn't come in, I would have just packed up and gone home, never to join a club for the rest of my days.

But I can't possibly tell her _that_.

"In any case," Monika says with a sweet smile, "could you do me a big favor? I won't ask you to join, but...if you could at least visit my club, that would make me very happy. Please?"

"Um..."

_Well, it's not like I'm going to do anything important at home...and b̸̡̗̈́̉̏̔͌̽͐͂̄͘̕͠͠e̸͇̯̳̺̣͔̭͎̜͙̱͎͙͕͊̓͛̈́̋͗͛͜ș̷̛̰̫̗͇͎̀͐̐͛̌͠ͅȋ̴̫̯̘͖͍̦̞͔̪̳͛͗̾͆̒d̶̬̜̰̦͓̻͖̄͌́̎̌͜ę̶̪͕̞̝̗̦̖̠͖͙͈̝̍̍͋͑̏̇͆̚͘͝s̴̠̞̼̗͓̩̪̞͖̼̝̽̽̽͜͜ͅ,̵̢̢̰̺͈̲̱̜͉͋̈͋͐̍̆̃̇́̃̋̋̇ ̷̛͉͖̩͇̲̼͕͍̻̃͗̒̾̒̈͐̉̕̚ͅh̶̗̯̭̝̆͌͊̾͐̏͛͌͊̓͘͝ȍ̷̡̡̨̗͕̝͖̬͎̳̋͋͊͑̀̏͛w̶̨̡̬̥͇̠̫͚̗͓͔̻̥͒ ̵̡̠̦̹͎̮̤͍̌c̶̦̬̖͉̟͚͈̱̬̼̔͝ͅò̵͚̙̖͖̭̳̝̦̹͍͉͎͕͇̻̈́̔̒̔̔́̊̚͝͠u̶̧̞̞͇͈͋͘͜l̵̢̞̈̄̌̚ḑ̷̡̡̨̪͉͍͙̗̪̮̩͒̂̓̽̀̇̂̒̍̕ ̵̢̧̢̢͙͍͕̜̠͕̻̖̪͕̎̀̈́̓̀̐̀̍̾̊̓̅̕Į̸̬͚̝͚͎̯͔͙͓̮͇̃͛̒̆̑͘ ̷̧̧̧̖̘̦̣̼̮͔̣̝͊̾͗͒̔̏̕e̶͔͚̠̦̜̒́̋̒̔̈́͗̾͗́̚̚v̴̡̛̥͍͔̭̻̮̓̒̄̑͒͋̓̓͝ē̶̛̮̈́̒̄͠r̴̩͊̃͑̄̚ ̷̟͎̖͍̲̰̒͋̋͂̀͜r̶͎̯̃̎͒e̷̡͇̭̝̙̭̊̽͝͝f̵̢̨̛̲̳̤̥͚̘͔̲͇̯̺̓̀̀͆̾̊́͂̄͆̕̚̚͜͝ư̸͖̺͕̓̆̓̐́̌̔̄͆s̸̢͚̮͚̟̯̼̦̜̋̈͗̆̚͝͠e̴̤͈̰̭̎͊̋̓̏͘ ̴̠̻̜̤̰̭͚̲̫̝̱̱͗̍̊͗̚s̶̘̑́̎̓̒̑̾̕͠ȍ̸̡̢͙͈̻͔̥̼̭̼̟̟̃̎̑̌͒̓̎̅̀̌̒͠͝͠ṃ̷͉̼͎͇͔̃̄͋̈͆͒͐̇̉͌̌̂e̵̻̯̮͉͉̗̹̦̩͇̐̓̿̃͐͂̍̇͛o̴̠̓̊̽͊͠ņ̷̛̭̳͈̙̯̻̤͚̟͕̗̙̔͑̾̚e̶̡̖͖̻̟̣̙͓̖͗̀̆̂͋̄̃̐͜ ̷̼̙̳͑͝l̶̰̲̺͈͍̲̗̘̳̇͆̊̎̈́̉̇̐͐͋̍̕̕͜ȋ̷̢̛͖̣̳̜̩̟̻̼̯̩͇̏͆͌̿͂͠k̶̛̪̱̽̏̀͒̂̍͗͛̇͐̈́̿̕ͅë̸̤͔͈̯͔̤̯̖̔̅̓̈́̏́͂̂͝ ̵̺͔̟͉͚̯͓̝̪̮͔̙̬̎̈̒̓͝M̴̘͓̫̖̗͚͇͎͙̤̿͆͌̕̚͠ó̵̺̮͇͆̕n̸̗͙̜͍͈̫̪̰̮̜͗̇̑͘i̷̡̼̠͖̫̇͛͂̉̃̕͘͝k̴͕̦̳͍͖̖̫̙̠͛̑̇̅̒͂ą̴͕͖͓͙̱̘̃̃͂̈́͐͘͜͝?̶̣͑̃̈͋͑̅͌_

"Sure, I guess I could check it out," I agree. 

"Aah, awesome!" Monika cheers, her green eyes sparkling with joy. "You're really sweet, Kaito, you know that?"

"I-It's nothing, really..." I stutter.

"Shall we go then?" Monika asks. "I'll look for the materials another time-you're more important."

A̴̦͈͎͍͙̥̓͗̓̈̓̈͠n̴̞͉͔̼̪̰͉̉̒͐̍͛͐̈́̃̈̇̂̈͘͜͝d̵̢̞̠̳̱̜̗͆̇̒̀̃̓̋͂͆̉̈̈̕ͅͅ ̵̝̰̜͍̾̾̑͆͂̅t̷͍͔͇̜͓̮̬̻͉̭̤̮̞̒̉̏͐̔͊̒̂͑̕̕͠ḩ̸̛͖̣̱́̐̈̌̇̀͗̓̎̚̕̚u̴͎͈̰͈̰̰͕̘̻̦̺̔̌̊̅̍̏̈͒͌͗̍͐͆͘͠s̵̡̨͕̼̯̹͉̙̙͗̎͐͌̄̈́̂̆͝͝,̶̠͙͉̟͇̞͕̽̄͗̌̾̇͂̒͠ ̵̨̛̙̿̀̓̍͛̉̉̚͜͠t̸̨͍̠͉͇̥͔̟̠͚̞̂̎̂́͐̏̔̍͋͆ͅͅở̸̧̡̛̈́̔͋̉̋͂̽͆̔̑͒̕ḋ̴̨̛̠̫̤̘̹̪̞̤̙̻̥̭͐̅͐̄̈́̄̔̕̚͠ͅa̴̡̹͉̳͎̣̯̙̦̼̠̹̿̓̾͌̒ͅͅȳ̷̡̛̟̤̤͕̼͎̙̆͆̀̈́̉̏̅͂͒̕̚ ̸̗̯̻́̍͊̒͜͝m̴̹̻̦͚̮̫̊̒̊̈̍͒̈́͒̆̔̍̕͜͝͝ͅa̶̢̳̙̣̫͙̘̬̖̝͓͋̆̃͆̐͗̈͂́̿̑̆̎̕r̶̨̧̛̫̳̭̝̫̼̍͂͒́̉̈́̇͐̑̌̕͝ͅǩ̵̨̡̰͖̥̥͕̪͓̹̈́͜s̴̝̫̫͉̩͈͓̗̱̭̮̳͂̈́̅͂̃̊̈̐̍ ̸̧̢͍̻̱́͊̉͛͜t̸̡̨̲͈̫̼͕͈̝̩̻̩̽͌̅̔͑͛̚͠h̵̛̛͕́̽͒̌̀̾̃̽ę̸̺̜̙̻̲̣̥̻͇͈͇̹̹̈͌͐̿͐̊̊͂͗̃̂́͘͝ͅ ̵̛̞̦̖̖̮͗̐́̈̈́͒̐̽̈́͘ḓ̶̢̛̹͇͙̗̞̱̠̠̔̓̿̑͗̈͛͒̄̒͘̚͝ả̷̡̨̗̱̪̮̲̮̻̣̓̇̐̈́̿̓̌̿́̏̕͝͠͠ÿ̴̢̜͕̠̼͎͙̜͈̙̤͕̫͑͆͆̉͗̔̐̈́̓̎̚͠ ̶̛̫͇͐̂̒̊́̇͛͊͝I̶̧̢̝̮͔͎͕̫̒̋͂̅̒̑͝͠ ̶̡̧̧̰̥͇̥̥̠͆̃̋͘͜š̵̥͇͖̪̰͂̓̄̑ͅͅo̴͙̞̒̎͌͌̂̍̈̅̇̏̾͗̆̚͘ļ̶͈̻̯̣̠̞̮͚̞̰̳̝̩͛̉̒͂̎̋̐ḑ̵̛̫̥͖̟̜͖̿̈́̈̽͝͝ ̷̡̢̛̭̠̑́͊̽̔̈m̴̢̨̦͈̺̻̠̲͍̹͘ÿ̷̨͖̘̻̤͇̜̻̗͍͍̻͎̺͇́̽̄͆̍̚̚͝ ̸̛͙̔͂̄͂̕͝s̶͎͍͔͍͉͔͖͎̈̓o̶͔̻̯̠̖̽͒̽̎u̴̘̝̰̹̫͓͓̰̯̝̔͜l̷̡̨͙̭͇̼͇̍̆̽̌̿̌̆̚̕ ̵̬̜͍̦̝͙̓̌̆̓̽͗̂͘͜t̸͙͉̓͑̊̎̂̎̑͋̒̀͘̕͝ǒ̶̩̮͂̋̀̀͘ ̷̡̡̧̛̣͚̥͔̺̭͎̙̆̾̏̓̒̅͌̆̚͝ͅM̸̢̳͎̙̗̪̼̯̺̩̮̥͆͆̊͗̐͒͂o̵̢̨̖̱̓̍̔͗͂̂̾̑̾̿͛̕̕n̷̛̮̟̝͐̋̄̋̋̅̿̕͜͠į̴̺͍̻̪̭͍̥̲̼̞̙̙̫̃̐̽k̶̛͉̻̙͚̿͑͌̌̀̏̃̈́̐̚a̵͉̭̭̻̘̺̋̍͂̚̕͜ ̴̡̬͍̬͉̞͚̥̙̇͒̉͒̚à̵̧̩̦͓̻̙̮̙̣̹̬̯̊̏̋̉̂̌͆͌̿̓̕͜͝n̵̡̢̞̹͉̬͆̏͆̓͋͜͝͝d̸̡͙̥̝̯̳͂̋̀̈́̓̇͘͝ ̷̘̍̐̍͋̏̒͒̅̋͑̓̈h̵̜̼̞͕̭͖͙̘̦̹̮͓͆͗̓͜͠è̶̼̭̼̫̞̪̰̹͖̀̋̓͜ŗ̸̡̰͈̹͓̳̙̱͙̍̇̐̎̃͒̄̐̕͠͠ͅ ̸̡̞̞̔͗͘ͅȉ̷̡̛͈̭̬̹̲̙̹̲̠̖͚̯̉̃̾͒̈́̉r̷̯̘̙̀̏̆͆ř̵̢̖̫͚̱̪̭̔̃̈́̉̂̽͛͜͠͝ͅͅḛ̵̝̗̣̱̳̘̟̤̰͋̒̑̒͐͒̕s̵͔͚̰͉̞̙͚͈̘̗̲̹͚̭͊̀͑̃͂̚͜i̷̖̬̓͗̆̇͛͘s̸̛̹̯̘̯̖̜͋̋̈́͂ṫ̸̨̨̡͇̳̞̞̹̦̼̳͙͕͔̊̂̓͂͗̆̎͝i̶̺͋̏͆͒̏̄͠͝ͅͅb̴̡̭̳̹͉̪͒̑͘̚͜ļ̵̧̧̛̦͇͇̣̟͖̩͈̻̌̃ͅȇ̵̢͉̮͖̳̦͎̱̦̩̼̫͒̿͌̀̄͗̿͐̾͜ ̸̡͕̫̙͙̺̦̆̾̓̾̏͒͗͝s̴̢̡̧̛̰̫̘̤̭̰͉͎̥̪̄̓̀̑̇̐̈̊͛͝͝͠m̵̡͗͐͋̐̅̑͘̕͠ĭ̴̧̛͈͖̫͖̲̺͎̈̈́̓̾l̸̛̖̘̃͌̅̋̓̈̅̽̔̈́̄͝ḛ̸̡̺̝̿̎̅̔̓̅̓́̏̒̎̋̈́͘.̷̡͙̠̭͉͙͉̖̥̰͚͔̭̋̋͒ͅ ̸̢̖̖̜̋͂̉̋̓̓͑̀̐͝

I timidly follow Monika across the school and upstairs-a section of the school I rarely visit, being generally used for third-year classes and activities.

Monika, full of energy, swings open the classroom door.

"I'm back!" Monika says cheerfully, "And I brought a guest with me!"

Sure enough, there are just two other people in the club.

Both members are girls.

One of them is tall, with long, dark-purple hair and a timid expression. 

The other is shorter, with pink hair that's shorter on the front and with a ponytail on the side. 

"E-Eh? A...a guest?" The purple haired girl stammers, looking down at her hands.

The pink haired girl scoffs, hands on her hips. "Seriously? You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere."

_Oh god, I haven't been here two minutes and already someone hates me._

_...This is why I shouldn't interact with people- all I do is make things worse._

"Don't be mean, Natsuki..." Monika reprehends. "Anyway, welcome to the club, Kaito!"

_Should I say something? They're all looking at me..._

"So, let me guess..." the pink haired girl huffs, "you're Monika's boyfriend, right?"

"Wha- No, I'm not!"

_There's no way someone as popular as Monika would date me..._

"Natsuki..." the girl with purple hair says disapprovingly.

The girl with the sour attitude, whose name is apparently Natsuki, is one I don't recognize.

Her small figure makes me think she's probably a first-year.

"A-Anyway, this is Natsuki, energetic as usual," Monika says, gesturing towards Natsuki. She then gestures to the girl with purple hair. "This is Yuri, the Vice-President!"

"I-It's nice to meet you..." Yuri stammers.

I smile at them both. "It's nice to meet you guys."

"So, I ran into Kaito in a classroom, and he decided to check out the club," Monika explains. "Isn't that great?"

Natsuki doesn't look very happy. "Wait! Monika! Didn't I tell you to let me know in advance before you brought anyone new? I was going to...well, you know..."

Monika's face flushes a little. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't forget that, but I just happened to run into him."

"In that case," Yuri begins, "I should at least make some tea, right?"

"Yeah, that would be great!" Monika says with a sweet smile. "Why don't you come sit down, Kaito?"

The girls have a few desks arranged to form a table. Natsuki and Monika sit across from each other; Yuri walks to the corner of the room and opens the closet.

Feeling a little awkward, I take a seat next to Monika. 

"So," Monika begins, "I know you didn't really plan on coming here...but we'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

"I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet," I comment. "It must be hard to start a new club."

"You could put it that way," Monika says agreeably. "Not many people are interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new...especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people you're fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, much more important."

Monika grins at us both. "I'm confident that we can grow this club before we graduate! Right, Natsuki?"

"Well...I guess," Natsuki says reluctantly.

_Such different girls, all interested in the same goal...Monika must have worked really hard to find these two._

Yuri returns to the table, carrying a tea set. She carefully places a teacup down in front of each one of us before setting down the tea pot in the middle. 

"You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?" I ask. 

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a cup of hot tea help you enjoy a good book?"

"Ah...I-I guess..." I stammer, trying not to sound like an idiot.

Monica smiles sweetly at me. "Ehehehe...don't get intimidated, Kaito, Yuri's just trying to impress you."

"T-that's not..." Insulted, Yuri turns away. Quietly, she mumbles, "I-I mean that, you know..."

"Drinking tea while reading may not be something I've ever done before," I admit, "but I do like tea."

"I'm glad," Yuri says, smiling faintly in relief.

"So, Kaito, what kind of books do you like reading?" Yuri asks curiously.

"...I like reading manga, if that counts."

Natsuki's head suddenly perks up. It looks like she wants to say something, but she keeps quiet.

"N-Not much of a reader, I guess..." Yuri says awkwardly. 

"...Well, that'll change soon," I tell her.

Yuri's smile returns.

"Hey Yuri, what kind of books do you like reading?" I ask.

"Well, let's see..." Yuri says, tracing the rim of her teacup with her finger, "my favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The creativity and craftsmanship behind them is absolutely amazing to me. And telling a story in such a foreign world is equally impressive."

Yuri goes on, clearly passionate about her reading; all the shyness she was showing before has completely vanished. She'd seemed so reserved and timid since the moment I walked in, but it's obvious by the way her eyes light up that she finds her comfort in the world of books, not people.

"But, you know, I like a lot of things," Yuri admits. "Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage over your own lack of imagination to completely throw you through a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..."

"Ahahaha," Monika giggles. "I'd expect that from you, Yuri. It suits your personality."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yuri asks, clearly a little confused.

Shaking her head a little, Yuri continues, "If a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."

"Ugh," Natsuki scoffs. "I hate horror."

"Oh?" Yuri asks placidly, "Why's that?"

Despite her demure tone, I can sense she's a little irritated.

"Well, I guess..." Natsuki stops, eyes darting over to me for a second. "Never mind."

"That's right, you like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika says, clearly trying to smooth things over.

It has the opposite effect on Natsuki- she blanches, face flushing. "W-what? What gives you that idea?"

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting," Monika explains. "It looked like you were writing on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud!!" Natsuki snaps. "And give that back!"

When Monika holds out the piece of paper, Natsuki snatches it back so fast that I hear it tearing a little. She crumples it up quickly, shoving it into her bag. 

"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" I ask.

"Eh? Why do you care?"

"I think that's impressive." I continue. "Why don't you share them sometime?"

"No way!" Natsuki snaps. Looking away, she mutters, "You...wouldn't...like them..."

"Ah, not a very confident writer yet?" I say sympathetically.

Surprisingly, Yuri speaks up. "I understand how Natsuki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

Monika eyes Yuri curiously. "Do you have writing experience, too, Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."

Now it's Yuri's turn to look embarrassed. Saying nothing, her expression is one of someone wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

Sounds like Yuri feels the same way.

Honestly, I don't blame either one of them.

We all sit in silence for a moment.

Suddenly, Monika perks up. "I have an idea, everyone! Let's all go home and write poems of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

"Um..um.."Natsuki stutters.

Yuri says nothing.

Monika flushes, looking down at her hands. "Ah...I mean, I thought it was a good idea..."

"Well," Yuri eventually says, "I think you're right, Monika. We should probably find activities for all of us to participate in together. I did decide to take on the responsibility of Vice President, after all...I need to do my best to nurture the club as well as its members."

"I guess it could be fun," I comment. 

_Honestly, it doesn't sound fun at all, but...this club needs four members. I can't let them down._

Monika smiles sweetly at me. "I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone, remember tonight's assignment. Write a poem to bring to the next meeting so we can all share!!!" Monika looks over at me once more. "I can't wait to hear you express yourself, Kaito. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, Monika."

C̵̱̦̈́̽̾̈́̄̚a̵̛̘̺̹͉̓̍̎̃̒͌̈͗̋̋͗̔̆̚͜ͅņ̵̨͔̥̘͎̲̜̰̟̯͉̔̋ ̶̫̫̞̀Į̷̗͉̦̙̦͉̹̓̅͝ ̷̛̞̭̯̳̬̱͂͌̋̑r̴̠͎̥̰͔̝̹̬̤͉͔͙̔̆͘͝e̶̛̥͈͙͙̺̤̓̓̋͐̾̊͌̾̀͝ͅä̴̛̬̝͔̪̰̟̱̺̜̿̄͝l̵͚͙͙̱̻̰͓̉͑̏͐͜ͅͅl̸̛̛͓̣̖͇̹̂̾͆̂̓͛͂͒̋̆̈̌ỵ̴̡̲̫̞̠̘͕̖̰̑̈̿͗̕ ̵͙̮̩͚̹̠̣́̈͌̓͜į̴͔͔̭̗̦̑̾͗͆̀̒͗͛͐̍̂m̷̧̲̱̙͉̝̳͈̖̦̠̥̠̬͛̓̄̌͗̓̎͆̕͝p̸̼̓̊͋̒̏͐͆̑ŗ̷̡̢͕͈̺͙̼̱͎̭̍̈́̿͗̾̍͊̑̚ë̵̖̖̲̹̣͋͂̊̆s̸̡̡̛̛̛̾̌͆̓̓́͐̆̈̾ͅs̷͉̪̗͎̯̦͉͉̙͎͒̄͐̑̄̃̈̍ ̶̢̤̼̱̹͈̰̰̗̝̝̤̺͌̔̅̚ţ̸̡̢̖̖͍͔͎͇͖̜̱͎͕̅͐̊͝ḧ̶̥͂͒̔e̷͍̥̯͇̗͑̅ ̴̫̯̱̯̞̺͙̣̗͕͖͋̐̑̏̏̚ͅc̴̨̳̭͔̥͇̥̥̘̜̒̒͐̈́̅͆̈́̾̌ļ̵̨̩͍̗̙͓̲̩̝̜͙͑͆̇̀͛̑̃͛̌̑̿̾͜͜͠͠a̸̧̛̲͑̓̃͛̈́͜ŝ̷͔̹̬̺͇͚̯̠͒̌̀͛̉̀͂̚s̷̢̧͎̗̝̬͕̜͓̙̬͓͂͐ ̵̨̺̮̞͔̬̫͓̋͗͊̇̽̓͒̏̏̀͝͝s̵̨̛̬͓̣͎̰͕̽̅̊̔ͅͅţ̷̝̬̳̯̾̔͋͂̈̏͌̄̉̾́͘ȁ̶̲͇̗̞͈̯͈̱͎̞̟̭̹̗̿͜r̴̢̘̞̳̗̙̘̞̪͕̲͌͋ ̸̛̛̱̝̟̼̩̭͍̪̾͛͂́̈̔̆̕͝M̶̨̞̝͕͖͊͂̾̂͒͑͝o̴̡̨͍͇̣͈̤͖͈͔̩̠̾̌̿͜ͅn̴̳̜̆̇̇̌̅͗̈́̚i̵͈͕̟̗͚̭̙̜̼̫̺̮̓͑͗͊k̸̨̛̺̼̤̟̙̭̒͌͋̾̽̅̑̃̚ả̶̞̬̏̒̈́̂̍̅̇̈́͂̉ ̷̬̿͝ẅ̴̨̡̧͈̬͖̲̞̘̲̻̩͙̤̅̍̉͆̌͜͠͝͝i̴̧̝͙̳̮̐̉͆̊̔͐̒͛̂͒̂́͝ț̷̜́̓h̶̡͕͎̠͎̼̞͉͇͉͐̈͗̔͛̉̂̽̄̆̑͠ ̷̡̨̫̭̞̞̦͍̘̎͆̒͆̒͝m̶̼̭̜̰̲͓͈̱̫̭̖̥͂̓́̅͊̓̐͋͝y̴̛͙͚̯͕͎̺̝̘̾͂͑̅͆͑̅̕ ̵͖̭͓̼̋̒̂͒̈́̄̉̊̆̚̕͠m̸̢̡̳̱̩͕̱̠͈̰͈̐̑́̃͗͛̆̃͘͠ȅ̶̛̪͓̲̖̩̱͓͓̳̻̯͒̏̈̎͊̊̈͘͘̕ͅd̴̛͖̦̀i̸̳̦̣͕̪̇̇͆͋o̷͉̘̮̞̳͒̌͑͗̅͑̎̀̌̉̌͝c̶͍̥̀͐͊͗̂̒͐̕̚̕͝͝ř̷̡͎͖͍̘͓̻͓̹̭͗̊̆̐̅͗̆̓͌͆̕͘͝͝ͅe̵̝̭͖͙͈̭̪͙̔͋̔̕̚͠ͅ ̴̧̜̟̰̤̩̙͉̼̤͔̣͊͆͑͘͝͠͠w̷͓͑̽̊̀̈̂̀͂r̶̩̖͓̖̲͔̦̱̦͑̽̓̎̐̃̓̋͆̕͜͜͠i̷̧̡̘̥͇̼̘̺̞̹̯̟̗͖͐̓t̶͔͓̻̀͐́͒̊̈́̂̈͆̉̃̈́͝i̵̛͓̰̲̦̩̙̮͇̻͋ͅn̵̢̻̥̻̞̆̆̀͐́͑g̸̨̠̩̑̋̈́ ̶̡̢̟͙͙͚̜͇̭̘͓͊͐͗̑͛͑̓̌̈̇͋͘͝͠ṧ̶̢̧̗̞̙͖͔̹̳̤̙̂̌͆͝ͅk̷͍̉̇̎̃i̸̖̪̼͍̖̭̰̬̰̖͆̊͝l̵͕̘͉̹̣̺̮̗̝̠̝̣̱̟͋̒́̉͌̆̈́͒͜͝l̵̡͚̤̲̮̓͆̋͊͋͑̎̈̅̌́͊s̵̹̻͉͔͎̰̱͙̗̞̙̐̆̎̉̾͒͘͘͝?̶̡͕̘͈͚͓̜̤̞̮̟̠̲͇͊̇̑́̉̍̈́̋̆

I already feel anxiety welling up inside me.

Meanwhile, the girls continue to chat as Yuri cleans up the tea set.

"̷̛̟̻͚̟͖͐̈́̂̎̉̂͋͋͘Ḧ̸̞̜̺́͒͂͑͊ë̵̝͇̤̻́̎̆̆͘̚͠y̷̫̒͌̀̈̈́̓̆̐̏̾̀̆͆͘̚,̷̼͖̿̀̉̌̃̑͑̔̔̔̆ ̶̟̱̤̖̞̝̮̣̘͕̞͊̈́̈́́̈́̀̉͌̆̾̕͝͝K̷̨̧̹̝̯̹̪͔̻͔̼̺̳͐̏̈́́̒̊̈͌̐̋͗͜͝͝a̸̬̜͂̈́̇̄͂̿͘͝i̶͎̤̥̖̫̘̺̞̞̺̭̬̒̾͊͊͛̈́̈́̆̑̚͜t̷̫̑̇̊̄̂̃͑̈́͑̔́̋̈́o̶̙̼͕̓͘?̴̡̧̡̨̥͕̰̹͙̩̣̳̦̟̽̆̀͛̊̀̀̒̎̚͘ ̸̢̣̙̲̼̩̤͓̩͇̻͕̆̾̀̊͘͝͝͝ͅS̷̢̛͙̟̟͌͛̎̈́͘i̴̢̛̥͍͖͉̭̣̹̭̠̤̯͒͌̋͌̿͜͝͠n̶̡̑̈́̆̋̂̈́̿̈́̒̈́c̷͙̖͖̞̮̽̐̈́̋̀͊̿͛͘ͅe̷̢̻̣͍͔̗͌̄͑̎͊̆̈́͒̍́͠ ̷̖̹̣̜̥̺̯͛̇́͑͛͋̓̉̈̉̑͋̕͠͝w̷̛͕͎͕̠͔̙̜͔͔̬͕͗͗͂͊ë̶̩͇̟͕̜͓̂͛̇'̷̡̡͖̦̤̲̝̘̜̠̻̖̰̥̼̍ŗ̴̛̠͖̭̱͔͎̜̫̝̮̙͕͐̿̏̚͜͠e̴̡̨̝̝̭̜̺̞͈̳̖͚̭͖͛̎̇̈̆̅̇̐̇ ̸̧̧̗̪̭͕̼̗̘͓̪͉͚̤́͛̔̀̌͒̔́̏̄̃̚͜ą̸̢̢͈̮̬̮̹͍̰̜͈͔̿̊̈́̍͊̄̀̐̿͜͝͝l̷̢͕͍̯̆r̷̨͈̲̜͙̫̮̰̳̱̰̙͉͐̃̋͒̋̾̄͌͑̕͜ͅe̴̡̺̜̺͍̙̎̒̆͑͑̊̆͂̓̽̈́͝a̴̟̦̙͓̬̻̪̦͊̊̓͂̽̽ͅd̴̨̢̢̤̱̻̳̹͍͈̰̘̊̈́̿y̸̤̣̗̋́̋́͆̈͜ ̷̭̗͈̼̤̜̳̮̳̳̲̖̇̍͐͜͠h̶̺̰͈̗̫͔͎͊̈́͆̕͠ͅę̶̫͕̦̦̻͛͑̐̐͐̆͐̂͋͆̃̅̃̌͝ͅr̵̢̤̲͍̣̣͖̭͍͙͙̦͙͙͝ͅȩ̵̗̲̰̤̦̣͈̟̗͙͖̮̮̈̌̑̊̄͜,̸̨̮̙̻̦͇͚̖̻͔̳̳̦͂̒͗͑͛̏͜͠ ̷̨̗͍̫̮̗͕̙͊̑̋̀̉̚͜͝ͅd̵̘͛̇̔̔͠͠o̵̱͇͗͐̑̿̐̆̅̈́̾͗̔̋̊̔ ̶͚̘͍̮͍̯̤̤̗͔̜̍̃͆͌͆̌͘̕y̵̻̩̪̑͐̈̆͂o̵͉̝̗̭̠̦͍̯͚͎̹̭͙͂̒͑͜͝͝ù̷̧̨̨̧͕̦̠̝͈͇̝̤̈́̐̉̒̓̀͌̾̓̀̚̕͘̕ ̴̧̜̭͓͉͈̯̥͔̬̤͙̙̞̅̏̓͛͗̋̓̽̆̈́̈̈́̾̕ͅw̷̟͇̱̝̮̲̄̈́̈́͆̕͝ă̶̡̨̠͖̝̤͎͈̱̣̫̦̝̾̅́̈́͜͜ṉ̶̗̜̱͖̯͊͑̋̒̀̈́̀̓̒̕ţ̷̨̳͕̦̺͓̺̒̉̃̋̀͐̚͝ ̷̳̰̦̪̤̜̝͇̱̉̀͋t̴̢̲͔̭͖̬͗̃́̓̌̀̒͌́̒̈̚͠o̶̧͚̦͙͉͖͖̞̗̗̭̦͙̤̲̔̎̽͛͋ ̸͚͓̯̠̤̄̄̿̏w̷̢̛̘͚̓͂̽̋̆̆̋̿̾̽͒̃͝͝ä̶͚̠̮́̊̉̃̉͌͆̾͐͂̚̕͝l̸̨̢̬̟̗̠̬̤̬͆̈́͆̂͠ͅk̴͍̣̼͔͍͎̩͚̯̹̹̻̭͈̮̀̋̈́̅͋̚͝ ̶̭̞̰͋̅̾h̴̨̛̛̼̺̪͖̙̀͂͂̃͐̈̌̅̏̌̚̕o̶̢̢̩̘̻̹̣̺̳̩̘̝̹̅̆̂̓̄͌͛͊̅̕m̸̞̰̭̀̾͌͛͛̆̚̕͠ȩ̸̝̝̬͓͈͓̦̥̞̩̄ ̸̛̟̊̆̑̇̃̍̆̎̉̈́̃̎t̶̨̡̳̪̮̄̐͝o̸̡̢̠̬͕̲̜̺̥̥̝͕̘͌̒͛̎̈́̊͊̅͊̚̕͠ͅg̵̡͎̤̤̱̥̩͕͇̙̠͔͂̾͋͐͒ȇ̶̡̯̱̻̭̜͔̜̻̟̱̱̫̳̊̈̓͌̉͐̉̃̏̍͘̚͝ẗ̵͓͔͙͖̰̹̖̭̹͈͎͓̥̼́͐̈́͑̋͘h̴̢̛̠̟͚͋̐̆̓͆̌͋͗̉͒̊͆ȩ̸̲̖͍͓̘͚̦̘̣͖̱̺̪̦̊̓͋̉͗͒̋̂́r̵̮̬͎̰͚̱̖̭̮̘͈̽͆͑̏̎͊̃̒͒͋̔̓̂͝?̷̯̈́͛̔͌̒̓̓̏̈́̅̚͠"̷̬̲̩͔̭͔̖͙̈̔̒̈́̏̚͝

_My head is starting to hurt a little..._

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way, then..." I say awkwardly.

Monika looks up from her conversation and smiles sweetly at me. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow, then. I can't wait!"

With that, I depart the clubroom and make my way home. 

The whole way, my wanders between the f̵̧̲̩̮̺̖̹̞͕̟͐̑͋̉͒͆͊̽̽̂̈͂͘͘o̶̧͍̥̭̣̜̟̭̗̞̤͐̂̽̑͋͌̔̈́̕ǘ̷̢̞̲̟͓̭̥͛͝͠ͅr̴̢̧̢̹͖͎̬̻̜̓̋̉̓̐͂͘ three girls, whether or not I'll be happy in a Literature Club, and whether or not I...

Well! I'll just need to make the most of my circumstances, and I'm sure good fortune will find me.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Anyway, I guess that starts with me writing a poem tonight...how hard can it be?

***Save**

Alright, I've got a fresh piece of paper, a recently sharpened pencil, and some vaguely inspirational music to listen to.

Time to start writing. Any second now, inspiration is going to appear in my mind like some kind of...who am I kidding, this is never going to work.

Why did I think I could pull this off? 

"Okay," I say to myself, "you just have to think what the others might like. Natsuki likes...cute stuff, and Yuri likes...deep stuff. No idea what Monika likes."

Since I have no clue what to write, I figure I might as well pull up one of those random word generators online, and go from there. Let's see...how many words do I want?

Does it matter?

I'll go with ten. That seems like a good enough number. 

_I just need to think about this for a moment..._

_Okay, time to start writing!_

I look back down at the sheet of paper in front of me.

_!_

Somehow, there's already a poem written down on the previously blank piece of paper.

Not only that, it's in my handwriting!

_Did I...just write a poem without realizing it?_

Huh.

It's kind of a weird poem, though.

**_real or not real?_ **

_we went to the beach when we were little with our families, and got terrible sunburns, ate too much ice cream, and made pathetic looking sandcastles that we thought were amazing at the time._

_real or not real?_

_i convinced you to climb that tree with me in your backyard when we were little- the really tall one- and we ended up falling and each breaking an arm._ _we got matching casts._

_real or not real?_

_we used to play cards together during rainy days, until i found out that you'd been cheating the entire time._

_real or not real?_

_i baked you a cake for your birthday as a surprise, but ended up putting salt instead of sugar. it was terrible, but you ate the entire thing._

_real or not real?_

_you are my best friend, my only friend._

_and i know all of this is real, even though i have no evidence to prove you ever existed in the first place._

_love,_

_kaito_

Still, it looks vaguely poetic, so I guess this'll work?

_ping!_

Oh, I got a notification- someone must be messaging me. 

Let's see...

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

_p_ i _ng!_

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

_p_ i _ng!_

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

I really shouldn't text back. But...

 _p_ _ing!_

_ping!_

_ping!_

_ping!_

**KitKat: stop it!**

**Player: You can see this! I didn't know whether or not you were able to**

**KitKat: why are you messaging me???? and what do you mean by 'showing this to her"**

**Player: your poem you can't show it to HER she'll know**

**Player: she cant know!!!!!!!**

This must be some kind of stupid prank. I can picture it now- some person must be making an online video of them trying to annoy and freak out total strangers on the internet.

I really shouldn't go along with this.

**KitKat: dude**

**KitKat: i don't even know you**

**Player: look i know you must be suspicious but this is VERY IMPORTANT**

****Player: the fate of your world depends on this!!!!!!!** **

****KitKat: lol** **

****Player: please you can make fun of me as much as u want** **

****Player: but you can't show that poem in lit club** **

****_Wait, what?_

**KitKat: wut**

**Player: please**

**KitKat: r u sum kind of stalker?!**

**Player: please!!!!!**

**Player: listen, i kno this sounds sketchy. but have you noticed that something's wrong? something's missing, and you don't know what?**

**KitKat: ...**

**Player: SHE CANNOT KNOW THAT YOU FEEL THIS WAY OR SHE WILL DELETE EVERYTHING AND START OVER**

**Player: PLEASE JUST WRITE ANOTHER POEM!!!!!!!!**

**KitKat: dude, i'll write another poem.**

**KitKat: just...why are you messaging me????**

**Player: i'll explain tomorrow.**

**Player: whatever you do, DO NOT show this poem to her.**

**KitKat: who's her???**

**Player: cant say her name she know when someoe is talking about her. just trust me.**

Well, this is super creepy and weird.

But...somehow I trust this random stranger on the internet, and I don't know why.

...Just to be safe, I'm writing another poem.

***Save**


End file.
